Blood and Steel
by Lazeralk
Summary: Saiyuki FF7 crossover. Gyokumen wants to get rid of Kougaiji, so she gives him a special summoning scroll and he ends up banishing himself by accident right into Sephiroth’s office.
1. Chapter 1

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have implied Shonen-Ai. I suck as yaoi, even though I love it dearly.

0o0o0

AN: This is just something that's been floating around inside my head and constantly demanding attention. To my knowledge, it is the first FF7/Saiyuki Crossover on FF dot net, and I hope it's enjoyable to you all. I've mapped out pretty much everything I can think of concerning the structure of the Shin-Ra military so if there are any questions about the system I'm using for this fic, please don't hesitate to ask.

If you are an FF7 fan, you probably know more about the game than I do, so if you spot any glaring mistakes in my portrayal of all things FF7, please, **please** let me know so that I can fix it. I'm trying to stay as true to the game world, and to Saiyuki, as I can.

0o0o0

Gyokumen Koshu looked down at the report in her hands and frowned. Her team of scientists were nearing the completion of their research and it would soon be time to perform the actual ceremony that would awaken Gyu Ma-Oh. She pondered her position as coldly as she could manage, looking for flaws. Kougaiji would quickly become a problem for her as the ceremony drew near. He would demand that his mother be included in the process, and she had no intention of doing such a thing. Once Gyu Ma-Oh was revived, Gyokumen, not Rasetsunyo, would stand at his side as queen.

She had to get rid of him, of them both really. However, Rasetsunyo was still imprisoned in stone, Kougaiji was not. She weighed the pros and cons of keeping the prince in her head as she tapped the clipboard against the arm of her throne.

No, he had to go. She would have considered keeping him if he'd succeeded in bringing her Genjo Sanzo's scripture, but he'd failed even in that simple task. So it was decided, Kougaiji had to be removed from the playing board. How to get rid of him though?

Kougaiji was a skilled warrior, and so could not be confronted head on. None of his men would betray him, he was too charismatic a leader, and she had no assassins that favored her over him. He was simply too powerful in that regard. Some sort of treachery on her part was the obvious answer, but the exact details of such a venture eluded her. She pondered the issue long and hard until an idea began to form in her mind.

0o0o0

Kougaiji, Prince of Demons, smiled lazily at his younger half-sister as she shrieked with joy. Yaone, not quite as happy as her prince, but still enjoying herself, struggled futilely to keep up with Princess Lirin.

Shaking his head at his sister's antics, he turned and headed deeper into the heart of Ho-Tu Castle. Lady Gyokumen had once again summoned him to his father's throne room. He bristled with righteous indignation at the sight of his father's whore on the throne. Once Gyu Ma-Oh was revived he'd tell him exactly what the manipulative woman was doing in his stead.

"Ah, Kougaiji. Come in." she said. As if she had any right to address him by his given name. He was royalty, she was a concubine, and it wasn't proper in the least.

"You called?" he asked, keeping the contempt out of his voice with some effort.

"Yes, indeed I did." She said, sneering down at him.

He refused to speak again, and waited patiently for whatever it was that she wanted. If she weren't vital to getting his mother back, he'd have killed her long ago for her disrespect.

"I need the Seten scripture from Genjo Sanzo, and I need it now. Since you've had some trouble in the past with him, I've dug up a particularly powerful spell for you to use. It's a summoning technique, so I'm sure you're abilities will be up to the challenge." She mocked as she tossed a sealed scroll down to him.

His hand snapped out and caught it, but he was otherwise unmoved.

"It will Summon the demi-god Seraphim. Surely that will be enough to get a scroll from a priest and his rag tag bunch of misfits." She said, her tone as condescending as she could make it.

He grunted at her and popped the seal, reading over the tight circles of runes and magical symbols. They looked a little odd to him, but then, he'd never Summoned a demi-god before. Gyokumen look a little miffed at being ignored during an audience, but dismissed it when he snapped the scroll shut and strode out of the room with out another word.

Once the door was firmly shut behind him, she allowed a tiny, satisfied smirk to grace her lips. One down.

0o0o0

General Sephiroth placed his newly finished stack of paperwork in the 'out' box on his desk and pulled the next set towards him. The seemingly endless spreadsheets of inventory for the compound stared back at him.

Signing mentally, he set to work on them, checking the numbers against the lists of ideal stock, his pen scratching across the paper in smooth strokes.

Something crackled, like a snap of electricity, and he glanced up. The room was empty, but felt somehow, imperceptibly, changed. His face drawn into his usual tight-lipped frown, he set his pen down on the desk and waited in the silence.

A second crackle of electricity shot through the room and his eyes traced it before he stood and lifted Masamune from its place on the wall. He took a casual stance and waited, sword in hand.

Light began to shoot up from the floor and was matched by light coming down from the ceiling. He glanced out his office window and saw that it was still night. He gripped the hilt of the sword a little tighter as the feeling that something big was about to happen built in him.

The lights grew and expanded, shining from a thousand sources that had no beginning. The points of light formed two matching circles, one a few inches off the floor and the other a few inches from the ceiling. Strange symbols and designs rapidly filled both circles, lightning jumping back and forth between them.

A figure, floating in space with its arms crossed in front of its face began to form from the darkness between the circles. The figure twitched and withered when the lightening struck it, but it made no sound.

Color bled into the figure, revealing long wisps of blood red hair and darkly tanned skin. The young man's eyes were tightly shut, hiding the color, but Sephiroth suspected they would be just as unusual as the rest of him. Light tan pants clung tightly to his long legs and a black jacket with the sleeves cut and buckled just below his elbows covered his upper body. Circles of dull metal wrapped around his forehead, neck and wrists and large pyramid shaped earrings dangled from his too long ears.

Sephiroth actually raised an eyebrow in surprise when he noticed the elfin ears, and the large set of red marks on the left side of the boy's face. Just as he'd finished his assessment of his visitor's features, the light and the circles abruptly vanished and the young man crashed bonelessly to the floor and lay there, sprawled and unmoving.

Sephiroth blinked at the body that had been so unceremoniously dumped on his office floor and sighed. He turned his back and placed Masamune back on the wall, only slightly disappointed that he hadn't needed it. He approached the figure on the ground and studied the now relaxed face for a moment before leaning down and scooping the unconscious man up.

If he took him down to the infirmary, then Hojo would certainly hear of him. The boy could not hide his outlandish features and would no doubt spark the curiosity of the sadistic old man. Even though the boy was a stranger, he would not wish such a fate on him.

"Looks like you're bunking with me until I can figure out what to do with you." He told his silent companion. The boy in his arms did not reply.

He was suddenly struck with the potential of the young man, the danger, the possibilities, the sheer amount of trouble he was going to be once people found out about him. Sephiroth tightened his grip on the sleeping boy, suddenly determined to keep him. He was slightly loath to let anyone else take his newest acquisition away from him for much more mundane reasons anyway.

After all, it wasn't everyday that a person appeared out of thin air and collapsed in his office. Such a thing made the young man, undeniably, _his_.

He made the short trip to his quarters the roundabout way, to avoid prying eyes and video cameras, and struggled a little with the key card. Once he'd managed to get the door open, he wrestled the two of them in and kicked the door shut behind him. Privacy ensured, he made his way to his bedroom, dropped the boy on the king sized bed and put his fists on his hips. He stared down at the elf and frowned at the heavy boots, and the armor attached to them, before letting his gaze rest on the metal rings around his head, neck and wrists.

Sighing quietly to himself, he tugged the boots off and set them by the side of the bed. He tackled the rings next and found that it was easy to get the bracelets off but not the collars or circlets.

He finally found the tiny catch on the backs of both and was quietly impressed with the craftsmanship when they opened along a previously invisible hinge. He set the metal circles, seven in all, on the bed side table and then scrutinized the jacket. He pulled at the tiny buckles on the sleeves, being mindful of his great strength as not to break the flimsy things, and finally had them undone. He gently pulled the earrings out and set them beside the circles. He sat the young man up and braced his limp body against his shoulder as he pulled the jacket off his arms and revealed that the boy wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Grumbling, Sephiroth laid the boy back down and strode over to his closet. He pulled out a hanger and slipped the jacket onto it and hung it up beside his second best leather trench coat. He fumbled around in one of his dressers until he found a plain white undershirt and struggled his sleeping guest into it.

Satisfied, he pulled the covers down around the boy's body, while he was still on top of them, and then covered his guest in an almost gentle manner. Nodding to himself, he walked out of his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He decided that he'd bring his remaining work into his study and then take it back with him when he stopped by his office in the morning.

Goal set, he headed off in the direction of his waiting paperwork.

0o0o0


	2. Chapter 2

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have implied Shonen-Ai. I suck as yaoi, even though I love it dearly.

Part 2

0o0o0

Kougaiji felt the telltale signs of a massive headache coming on the moment he regained awareness. He tried desperately to ignore it and go back to sleep, rolling over onto his side. He felt cloth twist about his body and had a moment to think that it was a rather odd sensation before he bolted upright. He didn't sleep with a shirt on. It was uncomfortable, and too hot, and he just didn't. The headache vanished with a surge of adrenaline as his mind went from slightly awake to high alert in half an instant.

He turned his head to look at his surroundings and noticed that the familiar weighty swing of his mother's earrings was missing. A jolt of electric fear ran through his entire body as he raised panicked fingers to his empty earlobes and then to forehead, and neck. He crown and chokers were gone, and the rune rings he wore around his wrists were gone too.

Those rings, above all the others, he had to get back. They were a massive source of extra magic that he needed in order to Summon his more powerful servants.

He finally spotted the cluster of metal on the small table beside the bed he was currently in. He snatched up his jewelry and quickly snapped each piece into place. He calmed down once he felt the cool metal settle against his skin, and the weight of the earrings as they swung with his every movement.

He looked around the room and really saw it for the first time. The bed he was in was easily the largest bed he'd ever seen. The cloth that made the sheets was smooth and light, like silk. The comforter was down and very warm. The walls were a pleasant cream color and the floor was thick and black and made of some sort of soft looking substance he'd never seen before. There was a closet to one side and a nicely carved set of cherry wood dressers along the wall. A door to the opposite side of the closet opened into what he supposed was a bathroom.

Quietly, the Demon Prince tossed the blankets aside and stood. He crept towards the door and then noticed his boots at the foot of the bed. He took a moment to slip then on and hook the armor plates that protected his lower legs into place. Feeling much more secure now that he was fully accessorized, minus his jacket, he tried the doorknob and was shocked to find that it turned easily under his hand.

He had assumed that he had been captured by someone, or was, at the very least, in some sort of hostile situation. He didn't know how he had lost consciousness or how long he'd been asleep. For all he knew, he'd open the door and find Genjo Sanzo on the other side with a gun pointed at his head. Or worse yet, Homura.

Prepping himself for a fight, he opened the door and glanced about the empty room on the other side for an enemy that wasn't there. The new room had a handsome pair of black leather couches, set on a highly polished wood floor. The couches were turned so that when someone sat on them, they looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the entire right hand wall.

Kougaiji walked, trancelike, towards the couch and placed his hands on the back of it, his eyes never leaving the view that was spread out before him from the windows.

There were no castles, no temples, no pagodas, no shop curtains, and not a single character of writing that he recognized. He stared out at the alien landscape and helplessly let the horror and dread creep into him.

He was nowhere near anything he recognized. He was most likely even outside the borders of Shangri-La. He'd never been outside the borders of his homeland, in fact he was certain that no demon had ever set foot outside of them either. He was in completely uncharted territory, with no way of getting home. None of the flying dragons that he normally used for long distance transport were contracted to him, and thus could not be Summoned. And even if he did have a dragon, he'd have no idea which way to point it in order to get back to Ho-Tu castle.

"In short, I'm royally screwed." He said to himself, glaring out at the foreign metal city.

"Is that a fact?" asked a smooth tenor from behind him. He whirled and glared at the man who had just walked into the room, his body tensing for a fight. He stared, open-mouthed, at the man for moment before shaking his head to regain his wits. His body kept the wary tension as he snapped his mouth shut and made a quick study of the new-comer.

"Are you a human?" he finally asked, taking note of the luminescent teal eyes, the flowing silver hair and the moon pale skin. He didn't bear the classical markings of a demon, but one could never be sure after the introduction of power limiters. Perhaps the minus wave hadn't reached this far yet?

The man, possible demon, raised an elegant eyebrow in response. His lip twitched once before he answered quietly.

"Sort of. I'm a SOLDIER First Class. Do you know what that means?"

"No. How can you be 'sort of' human? You aren't a half breed, your coloring is wrong." The prince replied, flexing his clawed fingers.

"I'll explain that in due time. What exactly are you, if you don't mind my asking."

"You can't tell?" asked Kougaiji, not quite believing him.

"I'm afraid not. I've never seem anyone quite like you in my whole life." The stranger replied.

"My ears should be a dead giveaway, and the birthmark on my cheek. My claws should be another big clue." He said, raising his hand to eye level. His half inch pointed claws suddenly extended into foot-and-a-half long daggers. The stranger eyed him strangely, before stepping forward and lifting a gloved hand.

"May I?" he asked, gesturing towards his extended claws.

Kougaiji was utterly confused, but nodded anyway. The silver haired man cupped the back of his hand and touched, bent and prodded the claws while the prince stared at him as if he'd gone insane.

"Fascinating. There aren't any sections, and the claw itself feels more like bone than cellulose." He muttered.

"Are you insane? Who are you anyway?" demanded Kougaiji incredulously, yanking his hand back.

"I am General Sephiroth of SOLDIER. And I am perfectly sane, thank you very much. Who are you?"

"I'm Kougaiji, Son of Gyu Ma-Oh, Prince of Demons."

Sephiroth was silent for a moment and then nodded, more to himself than to Kougaiji.

"A demon? Well, I suppose that explains everything then."

"You…have never seen a demon before?" asked Kougaiji, mentally reviewing their conversation.

"That's correct." Answered Sephiroth, moving into his bedroom with Kougaiji on his heels. The General undid the buckles on his trench and slid out of it. He noted with some amusement that his guest had fallen silent at his disrobing. Smiling slightly, he opened his closet and hung the armored coat up and pulled a solid gray dress shirt out. He shrugged into it and buttoned it up as he stalked out of his bedroom and back into the living room.

"How far away from Shangri-La are we?" asked Kougaiji, following his host out.

Sephiroth stopped in his tracks and turned to face the demon.

"Where?"

"Shangri-La. Its also been called Togenkyo." The redhead repeated, hope and dread warring in him as he waited for the answer.

"Is that where demons come from?" asked Sephiroth, as he took Kougaiji's elbow and sat him down on one of the two couches.

"No, well, yes, but there are humans born there too. The Temple of the Setting Sun at Chang-An is in Shangri-La, and that's one of the biggest and most important Buddhist temples in the world." He explained as he twisted to watch the General over the back of the couch.

"Hmm. Do you want anything to drink?"

Kougaiji blinked. "No. Thank you."

Sephiroth headed into his kitchen and pulled the refrigerator open. He rummaged around inside for a moment before he re-emerged into the living room with a bottle of water. He strode silently to the other couch, sat down, took a sip of his water and stared out the window for a minute before he turned to his guest.

"I've never heard of Shangri-La or this Sun temple you mentioned, and I've been practically everywhere in the world." He confessed quietly, carefully watching Kougaiji's very purple eyes for his reaction.

"That…can't be. Everyone knows of Shangri-La. People flock to our lands. We're renowned around the world as paradise on Earth. How could you **not** know about it?"

"Well, to be fair, you didn't recognize SOLDIER, and you didn't react to my name at all."

"Should I have?" asked Kougaiji, clearly confused. If either of them should have recognized the other, shouldn't it have been Sephiroth that recognized Kougaiji? He was the prince of the entire Demon nation after all.

"I am fairly famous. I was publicized quite thoroughly after I practically won the Wutainese War single handedly."

"Wutainese War?" Kougaiji's mind was painting him a picture, pieced together from all the bits of strange information he was getting, and he didn't like it one bit.

"Do you know what a Sanzo is?" he asked, nearly desperate.

"No." answered the other man.

"How many Founding Scriptures are there?"

"I don't know. What do you mean by that?" asked Sephiroth as he leaned forward in his seat. Kougaiji ignored him and plowed on.

"What mark denotes Divine favor?"

"What? I don't know. What do mean, divine favor?"

"Who is the War God?"

"There are no gods."

Kougaiji fell silent and swallowed noisily; his whole frame began to tremble, ever so slightly.

"This is not good." He said, his fists clenched in his lap.

"Kougaiji, who are the Cetra? What is Shin-Ra? What did Wutai go to war over? What is Mako?"

"I…I don't know. I don't know any of it." He answered, his teeth clenched together as a soft sort of panic began to buzz at the edges of his senses.

"You see? Neither of us knows anything about the other's world."

"Is that what this is? A completely different world than the one I know? But how did I get here? Why did I come? No…I'm a Summoner. I would have pulled whatever I needed from another plane and been done with it." Kougaiji's voice trailed to a mumble as he bowed his head in thought, trying to remember what had happened.

Sephiroth waited patiently for his otherworldly companion to muddle through his thoughts. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from asking questions.

"I give up. I can't remember a single thing that would explain how and why I'm here."

"What's the last thing you do remember?" asked Sephiroth, taking another sip of his water.

"I remember…watching Lirin. Then something about Gyokumen Koshu."

"What is Gyokumen Koshu?"

Kougaiji let out a surprised burst of laugher, louder than he'd intended, but genuine.

"Not what, who. She's my father's concubine and Lirin's mother. She's a whore that I don't particularly like. However, the research team that's working on a way to revive my father is loyal to her, so until he actually is revived, we have to take orders from the bitch." Explained the redhead, venom dripping from his voice.

"I see." Said Sephiroth, his fine eyebrows drawn together in contemplation.

"Kougaiji." He said.

"Hm?"

"Would you object terribly to the idea of me putting you through some tests?"

"Tests?" asked Kougaiji.

"Yes, I want to have you run through the initial strength test we give to cadets when they first enter training. I also want to see you try to use Materia and how you react to a small dose of Mako. I can't keep you locked up in here all the time, but you must remain hidden, at least for now."

"Why? Because there aren't any demons in this world? Will I scare people?"

"Well, yes and no. You will scare people, but I'm more worried about you intriguing them. We have something of a mad scientist on the pay roll. He has nothing that even remotely resembles morals, and he would happily dissect you and pump you full of things you really don't want to have in you. In short, you must avoid Hojo's notice until I can figure out a way to make you untouchable."

Kougaiji looked a little ill at the thought that he might end up as some human's guinea pig. His mind presented him with the smiling image of Doctor Nii and his dumb stuffed rabbit. Kougaiji frowned.

"Ok. So what's the plan?" he asked, willing to go along with whatever Sephiroth said to prevent being experimented on.

"We do the tests and, depending on how you do, get you a Third, Second or First class uniform. Basically, we're going to sneak you into SOLDIER."

"Ok, what all does that entail?"

"Hm, well, you might have to cut your hair. You'll have to call me, and anyone else of higher rank than you, Sir. You'll be expected to stand, and act and speak a certain way and there will be paperwork." Sephiroth answered, counting on his fingers.

"Sir?" said Kougaiji, more to himself, and laughed a little.

"Why is that funny?" asked Sephiroth, sending a piercing stare at the other man.

"All my life, people have been calling me that, so some variation thereof."

"You mean that you really are a prince?"

"Yes, the Demon kingdom is almost the entire western half of Shangri-La. I'm the eldest son of the king, which makes me the Crown Prince. Did you think this was for show?" he asked, tapping the crown on his forehead.

"A crown? Then you _are_ royalty…interesting." Said Sephiroth.

Kougaiji just smiled.

The silver haired General stood and set his still mostly full water bottle down next to his kitchen phone. He picked the phone up and then dialed a number he knew by heart. Kougaiji watched him with a look half way between confused and fascinated. He saw Sephiroth speak into it and his demonic hearing caught the words and a sort of crackle and the occasional word here and there coming out of the device.

Sephiroth put the phone down and walked back over to his couch, water bottle in hand.

"What was that?" asked Kougaiji, pointing in the general direction of the device.

"What do you mean?"

"That thing that you spoke into." Clarified the demon.

"Ah, that was a telephone which is more commonly referred to as a phone. It's a long distance communication device. I called one of my officers up here with a spare uniform for you to wear while we do the tests. That way, your initial test will look like a follow up." He explained.

"Ah." Said Kougaiji in understanding, his eyes studying the man across from him with newfound respect. The General was smart as well as gorgeous. The demon blinked at that last thought, before letting it slide, it was a truthful observation, nothing more.

They sat in silence then, studying each other, until there was a knock on the door. Sephiroth stood and answered it, standing aside to let a slightly scruffy, dark haired, man into the room. The newcomer had a stack of plastic wrapped parcels in his hands and a friendly smile on his face. Kougaiji stood and took a step towards the door and watched as the man's face went from friendly to shocked to awed.

0o0o0

End part 2


	3. Chapter 3

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have implied Shonen-Ai. I suck as yaoi, even though I love it dearly.

Part 3

0o0o0

Sephiroth glanced between the two of them, watching the black haired man's face for his reaction to the exotic looking demon.

"Wow." Was the first thing the new man said. He stared at Kougaiji, even as he set the packages down on the back of the couch.

"You are…ridiculously bishonen."

Kougaiji looked to Sephiroth for help, his face expressing the confusion he felt.

"He means that you're good looking." Explained the General.

"Oh." Answered Kougaiji dumbly; eyeing the man who'd so brazenly complimented him with some suspicion.

"Oh jeez! Sorry man, I'm Brigadier General Zack Knight. I'm a SOLDIER Second Class from First Battalion. Nice to meet you uh…"

Again the demon prince looked to Sephiroth for guidance, but the other just raised an eyebrow and offered nothing else. Frowning at him, the redhead turned back to Zack and gave a short bow.

"I'm Kougaiji. Pleased to meet you also Mr. Knight."

The SOLDIER laughed, one hand coming up to rest on the demon's shoulder. He didn't notice Kougaiji's strange look or the barely perceptible flinch at the unexpected contact.

"Call me Zack man; you're bunking with my best friend, so I think we can be on first name basis ya know?"

"Uh…right." Said Kougaiji. He glanced over at Sephiroth and scowled when he saw that the General was biting his lips to keep from smiling.

"Go on and change." Sephiroth ordered when he'd finished containing himself.

Kougaiji glared but took the stack of packages and made his way into the bedroom without another word.

Zack waited until he was sure the door was closed before he skipped over to the General and threw an arm around the taller man's shoulders.

"Where did you **find** him? He's so hot the floor should be melting."

Sephiroth glared at him for a moment before sighing heavily.

"He appeared out of thin air and then collapsed unconscious on my office floor last night. He doesn't remember how he got here. And before you go and do something stupid, he's Demonic royalty; so don't get any ideas Zack. I mean it, don't mess with him." The pale General explained, shifting to accommodate his friend's half embrace.

"He just landed in your lap? Jeez, must be fate. So when's the wedding?"

Sephiroth punched the brunette lightly in the ribs and scowled.

"Ow!" cried Zack in mock hurt at he staggered dramatically to the couch.

"**Try** to be serious about this, will you?"

Zack opened his mouth to answer but the bedroom door opened and Kougaiji walked out, glaring at his feet. The uniform fit him snugly at the top but the pants were almost half a foot too short.

The demon made sure that his host had seen before going back into the room, never once saying a thing.

"Hm…we may have to get his pants tailored. Maybe it's just the pants, but I think his legs might be disproportionately long." Commented Zack in sort of offhanded manner.

"Or it could just be that he's a demon and they have different proportions that include longer legs than us humans." Countered Sephiroth.

"Point." Said Zack.

"Hey, maybe you could lend him a pair of your boots? They go up to your knees right, so they would cover the shortness of the pants. Then we can take him down to the tailor and have some customs made up for him. Whatda'ya say?" asked Zack, a smirk on his ruggedly handsome face.

"That could work, but what to do about his ears?" answered the General.

Kougaiji emerged a moment later with his own pants and jacket on. Zack licked his lips at all the bare skin the open jacket revealed, his mind nose-diving into the gutter.

"I can fix that." Said the demon, apparently having heard the conversation from the other room.

"How?" asked Sephiroth, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"I have my limiters with me. All demons have a set, and can pass for human. I learned to control my power early enough in life that I don't really need them to keep myself from going insane and slaughtering everything in reach. I still carry them though, just in case." Said the demon as he pulled a set of tiny metal cuffs from his pants pocket. He hooked the cuffs over the shells of his ears and his whole body shimmered for a moment. When the glow faded, Kougaiji looked entirely human. His ears looked normal, not counting the two sets of earrings, and the red mark had vanished from his cheek, leaving his face clean and heartbreakingly beautiful.

"Well shit. You can color me impressed." Said Zack as he made a show of examining the redhead. Kougaiji bore it stoically, but a faint blush touched his cheeks. He ran his blunt nailed fingers through his hair in nervous gesture, shifting uncomfortably.

"Kougaiji, go change back into the uniform and put the knee high boots in the closet on over the pants. Then-"

"I know. We go to the tailor. I can hear through the walls." Finished Kougaiji, offering a slight smile in apology before turning around and going back into the bedroom.

"Sorry Seph." Said Zack, not looking at the General.

"You didn't know." Answered Sephiroth, and the whole issue was forgiven and dropped, just like that.

The two SOLDIERS waited in silence this time, only disentangling themselves when Kougaiji returned to the living room in the full, blue and silver, SOLDIER Second Class uniform and Sephiroth's boots.

"Can I come?" asked Zack, giving his best friend pleading eyes.

"Sure." Agreed Sephiroth, as he headed into his room, leaving Zack and Kougaiji alone together.

"So…" said Zack as he moved closer to the demon.

"What?" asked Kougaiji, suspicion all over his face.

"What do you think of Sephiroth?"

"What?"

"Oh come on, you have to have some sort of opinion on him. So tell me. What do you think?" coaxed Zack

"Well, he's…he's been very kind to me considering the circumstances." Admitted the demon, not looking at the SOLDIER.

"And…?" Zack prompted.

"And what?" snapped Kougaiji.

"Do you think he's hot?"

"Hot? Like illegal?"

"No, like attractive." Deadpanned the brunette.

"Well, yes." Whispered Kougaiji, almost bashfully.

"Ah ha." Said Zack, and left it at that.

Sephiroth emerged from his bedroom in his normal combat leathers and scowled deeply at Zack, his expression saying, without words, that they would be having a 'talk' later.

Zack smirked smugly at his commanding officer and didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"Let's go." Said the General and the three of them walked out of Sephiroth's quarters and into the SOLDIER section of the base. Insatiably curious about his new world, Kougaiji took his time looking around at everything, and returning the looks of the people that had stopped to stare at him.

Sephiroth also noticed the stares and sighed mentally. The rumor mill would be in full swing by dinner and everyone would know about the exotically beautiful redhead that had been seen with the General.

0o0o0

End part 3

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, all three of you. Really.


	4. Chapter 4

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have implied Shonen-Ai. I suck as yaoi, even though I love it dearly.

Part 4

0o0o0

Half an hour later saw Kougaiji on a pedestal being measured for new pants. Sephiroth had told the tailor exactly what they needed in short, clipped, sentences. The violet-eyed prince was slightly shocked to note that his semi-friendly host had suddenly transformed into a cold and demanding authority figure, but didn't say anything incase such behavior was normal for him.

By the lightly exasperated look on his face, Zack noticed the change also but didn't react to it. He smiled amiably at anyone who would catch his eye and seemed perfectly at ease standing next to such an imposing figure.

After ordering several pairs of pants, some in the red of a First Class and some in the blue of a Second Class, and arranging for the finished products to be delivered to his quarters on base, Sephiroth led his party out the door and straight back home to avoid confrontation.

Zack was sent off in search of food for them and Kougaiji gratefully changed back into his own clothes.

"Sephiroth?"

"Hm?"

"What exactly is considered food here?" asked the demon, a frown on his handsome face.

Sephiroth suddenly stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at the demon.

"I hadn't thought of that." The General quietly admitted, silently berating himself for such a gross oversight.

"What do you consider food?" he asked his royal guest.

"Well…do you have Lokam? Or Huaniu? I like Pemolo and Lychee too." Said Kougaiji, absently counting on his fingers as he named his favorite foods. Sephiroth stared blankly at him and then sighed.

"We may have a problem. I've never heard of any of those." Confessed the silver haired man. He allowed a tiny grimace to mar his features for half an instant at the look that crossed Kougaiji's face before he resumed his usual placid expression.

"Oh…well, I guess we'll just have to try some things and hope I don't die or anything." Said Kougaiji with a shrug.

Sephiroth frowned at him, not liking the high risk factor, and settled down beside his guest on the couch in silence. They looked out over the twilight cityscape of Midgar, the lights twinkling like stars on the Plate.

Zack returned a few minutes later with two plates of food and pleasant good night.

"Leaving so soon?" asked Kougaiji as he eyed the food warily.

"Aww, ya gunna miss me?" said Zack, batting his eyes at the redhead.

"I didn't say that." Grumbled Kougaiji, glaring at the brunette.

"I'm kidding man, but really, I gotta go. I get to teach munchkins in the morning. Ohh. Fun."

"Teach?"

"Yeah, get Sephiroth to tell you about it. He gets to teach classes to the kiddies too."

Kougaiji looked over at the General as Zack left, a question on his face. Sephiroth motioned him over to the food on the kitchen table and handed him a fork.

"What is this thing?" he asked, turning the fork in front of him in order to get a better view.

"It's a fork. Let me guess, you don't use those in Shangri-La." Sephiroth answered.

"Well, some people do, but I haven't seen one in years."

"I have a few pairs of chopsticks from Wutai if you'd prefer." Offered the green eyed SOLDIER.

"Please."

Sephiroth handed him the chopsticks and took the fork for himself. They ate in silence for a moment before Sephiroth began his explanation.

"SOLDIER is the military branch of Shin-Ra. The other branch is Corporate. We handle the defense of Midgar in general, meaning monsters and such, and things like rebel uprisings and some damage control. We were also the primary force in Wutai during the war, so SOLDIERS were produced as quickly as possible. The war justified the creation of so many new SOLDIERS, but after the war, we had several hundred SOLDIERS and not all that much to do with them. SOLDIER isn't really all that big an organization due to the sheer cost of genetically enhancing a single SOLDIER. As a result, we have twenty or so First Class SOLDIERS, one hundred or so Second Classes, three hundred or so Third Classes and somewhere around five to six hundred cadets at any given time. Follow me so far?"

Kougaiji nodded, his mouth full of some sort of smoked meat he'd never had before.

"Good, now SOLDIER is organized like the militaries of the world before the Continent officially came under the rule of Shin-Ra. Shin-Ra is technically a power company, meaning we're a corporate business, but since the expansion, Shin-Ra has also taken over the functions of Military and Government. Which means that the president of the company is also the political leader of the Continent. Understand?"

"You mean he's like a king?" asked Kougaiji, picking up another chunk of meat with his chopsticks.

"Exactly, but the people don't see him as a rightful ruler, he's more like a conqueror that took over all the other institutions and imposed his own rule. His power is so great however, that most people can't do anything about it. They like Shin-Ra because the company supplies power to them, but the average citizen doesn't like Shin-Ra because they feel threatened by the power that the company has over them. Anyway, back to SOLDIER. The lowest rank in SOLDIER is Private, then Lance Corporal, and then Corporal. These ranks can be obtained by cadets. Once a cadet makes the cut into SOLDIER they get their first mass Mako treatment and become Third Class SOLDIERS, once they make it that far they can be promoted to Sergeant, then Staff Sergeant. If they do really good, and make it to Officer, they can get the ranks of First Lieutenant and Captain. Follow?"

"I think so, I'll have to write them all down and study, but I'll get it." Said Kougaiji, trying some of the steamed vegetables.

Sephiroth gave him a small smile and took a drink before he launched back into his explanation of how SOLDIER worked.

"Ok, once a SOLDIER gets their second mass Mako treatment and becomes a Second Class SOLDIER, he can reach the rank of Gunnery Sergeant, or if he's an Officer, Lieutenant Major, Major, Colonel or Brigadier General, which is where Zack is. When you reach First Class you automatically become an Officer, and can hold the rank of Major General, Lieutenant General or General, which is me."

"Ok wait," said Kougaiji, leaning forward on the table and gesturing with his chopsticks.

"You said before that there are twenty or so First Class SOLDIERS, but there are only three ranks you can have as a First Class, so is there more than one Major General, Lieutenant General and General?"

Sephiroth smiled again and leaned back in his own chair, crossing his arms over his wide chest.

"Yes and no. There is a Major General and a Lieutenant General for every Company, and there are ten Companies within SOLDIER. I am the only General, and all Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals report to me."

"So, if I test to be on level with a First Class, I'll rank as an Officer?" asked Kougaiji, a smirk on his face.

"Yes, though where to put you is going to be interesting. I can't give you a Company, we don't have enough SOLDIERS for that…" said Sephiroth, his brow draw in concentration as he though the problem through.

"I could lead a special team, like for assault or tactics or something." Suggested the Demon prince.

"That might work, though to what end? During the war I would have put you on assassination or something. In peace time however…well, what are you good at?"

"Uh, well, I'm a Summoner and I specialize in Fire Fiends. I can read and write magic. All kinds, I mean, not just Summoning. I speak all the languages used in Shangri-La, but I doubt that will help here."

"Kougaiji, explain this summoning thing to me."

"Oh right, I guess you guys don't have magic here."

"We do, I just want to see if it's the same." Answered Sephiroth, surprising the purple-eyed man.

"Ok…well basically I recite a spell in the Old Tongue, which is the language of magic, and what ever I'm summoning appears."

"You don't need anything to do it?"

"Well, the spell obviously, and a contract with that which is Summoned. You don't need a contract to Summon inanimate objects, just some sort of bond with the object. Most demons can Summon their favorite weapon, but nothing else. I can Summon all sorts of things, and can contract with other life forms." Said Kougaiji, watching Sephiroth's blank face for some sort of clue.

"Hm…so you don't need any sort of object to summon?"

"Not really, no. There are charms and talismans that contain either the creature, or object or whatever itself, or the contract to Summon it. I've used those before, but I don't really like them all that much. The last one I used ate my men and then possessed me. It was not pretty and I still got my ass handed to me by Genjo Sanzo."

"You mentioned this Sanzo thing before and something about scriptures and divine favor when you questioned me earlier. Care to explain all of that?" asked Sephiroth, leaning forward to watch the redhead talk.

"Sanzo is the rank given to the highest order of Buddhist priest, there are five of them traditionally, and each Sanzo chooses their own successor. To prove that they have been chosen, a small crimson shakra is placed in the center of their foreheads. This is the mark that denotes Divine favor, and the right to carry one of the five Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth. Legend has it that the gods used these five scriptures to create the World and the Heavens. Genjo Sanzo carries the Seiten Scripture and is the rightful heir of his master's scripture too, the Maten Scripture. Gyokumen Koshu has the Maten Scripture because she murdered Genjo Sanzo's master, Koumiyou Sanzo, and now she wants the Seiten Scripture."

"Hm. These scriptures have some sort of power then?" asked Sephiroth after a moments pause to digest it all.

"Yes, quite a lot of power too, but only in the right hands. Any Sanzo can use any Scripture, and Gyokumen has an ex-Sanzo on her staff. He got kicked out of the Order. No one knows why, but I don't trust him."

"Why does she want the Scriptures?"

"To revive Gyu Ma-Oh, my father. She's in love with him, and she wants to be Queen."

"Ah. Makes sense." Said Sephiroth with another small smile. He couldn't remember smiling this much since…well, ever.

"So about this teaching thing…?" prompted Kougaiji.

"Oh yes, teaching is what SOLDIERS do now that we're not at war. We just constantly train the lower ranking SOLDIERS and cadets. The cadets are under the regular command of Third Class Sergeants, but higher-ranking SOLDIERS teach different classes for different specialties. We have a Firearms program and a Blades program for weapons, and other programs for things like Intelligence and War Mechanics. Each program is broken down into sub-programs and the sub-programs are broken down into classes with advancing levels. Each SOLDIER has to specialize in something and have a general knowledge of the other programs. I specialize in long swords. My primary weapon is a twelve foot muramasa, a kind of Wutainese blade that is thin and has a slight curve."

"You use a twelve foot sword?" asked Kougaiji incredulously.

"Yes, her name is Masamune."

"That's crazy; wouldn't your speed and maneuverability suffer for it?"

Sephiroth grinned fiercely at his new friend, his eyes lighting up with the anticipation of a good weapons debate.

"No, but only because I'm a First Class SOLDIER. A normal human would look utterly ridiculous trying to wield my Masamune."

"Is there that much of a difference between humans and First Class SOLDIERS?" asked Kougaiji skeptically.

"Yes, and when we spar tomorrow, you'll see how much that difference is. Oh, I've been wondering. Those power limiters you're wearing, how much do they affect your total strength?"

"Ah, the limiters. Well, I can't Summon creatures with them on, and my speed, strength and magic are cut in half. But hey, I can pass for human." Said Kougaiji with a touch of sarcasm.

"Hm…we'll have to test you with and without them." Said Sephiroth as he glanced at the clock on his wall. Slightly surprised that several hours had passed since they sat down to eat, he quickly cleaned up the table and then turned back to his guest.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked, waving in the direction of the bedroom.

Kougaiji eyed the bedroom and then the couch with speculation. Shrugging, he turned back towards the General.

"I'll sleep on the couch. What time should I wake up?"

Sephiroth looked relieved that he didn't have to share his bed and though for a moment.

"I'm up at five thirty, and that will be early enough to start your testing with the limiters. We'll wait till late tomorrow night to do the test without the limiters."

"Sounds like a plan." Said Kougaiji with a smile.

"Good night then."

0o0o0

End part 4

Love to everyone who reviewed, your input keeps this story going!


	5. Chapter 5

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have implied Shonen-Ai. I suck as yaoi, even though I love it dearly.

Part 5

0o0o0

"You have thirty seconds to get your gear and be on the line, do hear me!?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

Sergeant Mitch Thompson growled at his platoon as they scrambled to get their gear together and make it to the lines down the center of the room in the time given them. Three neat rows of green clad Shin-Ra cadets stared back at him, panting and awaiting their next orders. Sergeant Thompson took the time to spit and then had his wanna-be SOLDIERS marching, in full gear, out to the training grounds of the base.

He marched out with them and sighed as he spotted the small figure that was lagging behind.

"Strife! Get moving!" he yelled at the unruly blonde locks that were bobbing along, half a foot shorter than anyone else in the platoon.

"Sir, yes sir!" cried the boy as he struggled to catch up with and then match the pace of the rest of the group.

"C'mon Cloud, ya gotta keep up or Lutzig is gunna beat ya to a pulp for makin' us do extra laps." Whispered Cloud's first friend in the military, Janus Kazaleh. Davin Lutzig had taken one look at Cloud on his first day on base, shook his head dramatically, and then beat the poor blonde for a reason yet unknown.

"I'm comin'." Wheezed Cloud as he trotted along side his bunkmate. Third Platoon moved in a steady line of synchronized bodies down the drive and towards the fields where the obstacle courses where.

"Let's move brats! We got work to do today!" yelled Sergeant Thompson as he shouted out cadences to keep the cadets moving. They reached the edge of the obstacle course field, affectionately called 'Rat Race', and stared in awe at the sight that greeted them.

General Sephiroth and Brigadier General Knight stood on the watchtower with clipboards as they observed a lone figure racing through the course as if it were nothing.

"Wow." Whispered the cadets; jealousy and admiration filling them as they watched a blur of red and blue take each challenge easily. Half an instant later the blur stopped in front of them and they stared open-mouthed at the beautiful Second Class SOLDIER. He stood facing the watchtower, giving the cadets a sliver of his profile, his long crimson hair waving gently in the breeze.

"Alright, let's move on to endurance testing." Said the General, casually hopping over the railing of the tower, falling the twenty or so feet the ground, and landing easily on his feet. The redheaded SOLDIER nodded and fell into step behind the General and the Brigadier General. Even Sergeant Thompson watched as the three of them disappeared around a corner.

0o0o0

Cloud dragged his bruised and battered body into the barracks and collapsed on his bunk. He shut his eyes and tried desperately to make the rest of the world disappear. His attempts were thwarted by the chipper voice of the cadet whose bunk was across the room from his.

"Hey Cloud! Did ya see that Second Class today? Man was he something! Think they'll let me grow my hair out that long when I get to Second Class? Did ya see how he took the Rat Race? Man that was nice work. I can't wait to get that high up. Things will be so much easier then, with all the upgrades I mean. What do you think he specializes in? He wasn't carrying a sword or a gun that I could see. Did you see anything? Hey, Cloud, you in there man?"

"Gods Palka, do you ever shut up?" griped another cadet from a few bunks over.

"Only when Sergeant Thompson tells me too!" Palka called back.

"Jemeni? I really need to sleep right now…" begged Cloud as he cracked one blue eye open to stare at his bouncy friend. Jemeni Palka was blonde, freckled and far too happy to have just gone through the Rat Race. Cloud glared at him and groaned as his bruises protested his tiny movements.

"Hey its not so bad man, we have indoor weapons training tomorrow. Which means no Rat Race. Cheer up Spiky, we'll get through this."

Cloud smiled faintly at him and let his eye drift shut. Jemeni ruffled the blond spikes affectionately and headed over to another cadet to gossip about the three SOLDIERS they'd seen on the training fields.

0o0o0

"Well?" asked Kougaiji, freshly showered and in his own tan pants and open black jacket.

"This is bullshit!" said Zack happily, waving around the stack of papers that were the demon's test results.

Kougaiji raised an eyebrow and sat next to the dark haired SOLDIER on the couch.

"With the limiters and no Mako, you test as a very high end Second Class, borderline First. With the Mako, you test as a First. Which is crazy. You're a demon, not a demi-god for Planet's sake."

"Ah!"

Kougaiji gripped his head in pain, his eyes screwing shut.

"Jeez man, you ok?" asked Zack, his face filled with concern as he laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder.

Kougaiji shook his head, grit his teeth and reached to pull the limiters off.

"Sephiroth!" called Zack as he eased the redhead down onto the couch. The General appeared a moment later, his leathers replaced with slacks and a white button down shirt. He frowned in confusion at his friend and Zack motioned him over with an abrupt hand motion.

Kougaiji's limiters sat on the coffee table between the two couches and the demon himself was lying tensed and still on the couch, his hands wrapped around his head.

"Kougaiji?" asked Sephiroth, and the redhead jerked and opened his still glowing Mako purple eyes.

"I…_remember_." He growled out, his fangs and claws lengthening in response to his stress level. He groaned in pain and threw his head back against the couch.

"What's wrong?" asked Zack, watching his newest friend's face with worry.

"Massive headache." The redhead hissed between clenched teeth.

Sephiroth disappeared into his kitchen and returned a moment later with some pills and a glass of water. He handed both to Zack over the couch and watched as the Second Class carefully administered the drugs to Kougaiji.

"Painkillers." Explained Zack at Kougaiji's questioning stare. The redhead nodded and obediently swallowed them.

The three SOLDIERS sat in silence while Kougaiji rubbed at his temples and waited for him to speak.

"I remember now. When Zack said demi-god, I remembered everything. Gyokumen Koshu gave me a scroll, a Summoning spell. It was supposed to Summon the demi-god Seraphim. I'm guessing that's you Sephiroth. It's close enough to have worked. But it didn't. I thought the circles looked weird, and now I know why. They were backwards. It wasn't a Summoning technique, it was a Banishing. I Banished myself to the demi-god Seraphim." Explained Kougaiji in a voice tight with self-condescension.

"How will you get home?" asked Sephiroth, his tone only barely hiding his displeasure at the idea of loosing his new friend.

"I'd have to Banish myself right back to Shangri-La, but I've never intentionally Banished myself before. The safest way to do it would be to remember the exact spell that brought me here and rewrite it so that I'm Banished to someone of equal power to Sephiroth in Shangri-La. That will be tricky, since my options are limited to Homura, Konzeon Bonsatsu, and possibly Genjo Sanzo. Homura will kill me, he's a very bitter person. But then, being cast out of Heaven for falling in love will do that to you. Konzeon Bonsatsu is the Merciful Goddess, but she's really not all that merciful. Besides, I think she still holds a grudge against my family for Nakatu's depression and subsequent self-sealing. Genjo Sanzo will laugh at me and then shoot me. There's also the little fact that I'm pretty sure Gyokumen tampered with the scroll so I wouldn't remember enough to get home. She did this on purpose to get rid of me. In short, I'm royally screwed."

"Yeah, you are." Said Zack, then a devious smile tugged at his lips.

"Ya know, you could just stay here. We're happy to have you."

Kougaiji smiled, soft and genuine.

"Thank you." He said quietly, staring at the ceiling, one arm draped over his forehead.

"I mean it Kou, we like having you here. Please really consider it ok?" pleaded Zack, answering that genuine smile with one of his own.

"I will." Said Kougaiji seriously, looking Zack in the eyes.

"Great!" said Zack, slapping Kougaiji's knee. Then he stilled in confusion, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

"What were we doing?" he asked.

"You were explaining the results of Kougaiji's test to him." said Sephiroth helpfully from his place behind the couch. He hadn't said anything since he'd asked Kougaiji about going home; he'd been too afraid to speak and ruin any chance he might have had at keeping the redhead. A fierce sense of possessiveness filled him to the brim at the though of loosing the demon and that both startled him and felt perfectly natural. He'd puzzled over it while he'd watched the two of them talk about Kougaiji's future.

"Oh right!" said Zack as he pulled the papers back out and practically shoved them under the demon's nose.

"So, as I was saying, you rank as a SOLDIER First Class with the Mako, which you'll be on regular doses of. If these are your scores with the limiters on, then I can't wait to see what you can do with them off. I mean, jeez! Anyway. Your hand-to-hand combat skills are awesome, so that's not an issue, but you have got to pick a weapon. Or weapons, whichever you want to do, and start leaning them. You have to at least carry them around, even if you don't use them."

"I can't specialize in hand-to-hand?" asked Kougaiji with a frown.

"You can, technically, but no one has ever done it without having a second specialty in a weapon. Usually, the people who specialize in hand-to-hand do so after they've already specialized in a weapon. It's sort of a supplemental kind of thing, ya know?"

"I'll see what you guys have and if I don't like anything, I'll Summon something from Shangri-La." Said Kougaiji as he leaned back into the couch and pulled a knee to his chest. He wrapped one arm around his leg and let the other rest on the back of the couch.

"Alright, we can go look through the weapons racks after my class. Kougaiji, I was hoping you'd come with me when I taught today." Offered Sephiroth.

"Sure, I'd like that. If someone asks me about a weapon before then, I'll just Summon one." Said Kougaiji.

"I thought you couldn't Summon with the limiters on?" said Zack.

"I can't Summon anything living with them on, and nothing really big, even if it is inanimate, either. I can manage a Dao without too much trouble, but don't ask me to Summon it more than a few times in an hour or so." Explained Kougaiji as he opened his hand and concentrated. A lovely straight sword with a decorative handle suddenly appeared just over his palm and floated there for the few instants it took for Kougaiji to wrap his fingers around it.

"Wow." Said Zack, openly gaping at the sword in his friend's hands.

"I've never seen a blade designed like that before." Said Sephiroth as he studied it.

"Never?" asked Kougaiji, glancing at him and then the sword.

"No. It's too thin to be a broad sword, too broad to be a saber, and the hilt is almost two and half hands, like a katana, but the blade is straight. There's a groove down the center of the blade, why? And the guard is almost two inches long, which is strange." Muttered Sephiroth.

"It's a Dao, the most common type of sword in Shangri-La." Said Kougaiji, holding out his other hand for the sheath. A moment later, a matching sheath was resting on his palm. He carefully slid the blade home and then attached the sheath to his belt.

"I had no idea your Summoning would be that impressive, better not use it where people can see. Just carry that sword out with you and we'll mess with your weapon's issue later. Go change into the First Class uniform and I'll get you some stripes." Said Sephiroth.

"Yes sir." Said Kougaiji with a smirk as he easily flipped himself, one-handed, over the back of the couch and hit the floor in a smooth walk towards the bedroom door.

"What rank are you gunna give him?" asked Zack excitedly.

"I was thinking Lieutenant General. Until I can figure out a way to make him untouchable to Hojo, I'll keep him as close as I can." Answered the General.

"Yeah, that's probably the best protection you can give him. No one will mess with him if he's with you." Said Zack as he came to stand beside his long time friend.

Kougaiji returned a moment later in the full red and gold First Class Officer's uniform and Sephiroth was surprised to note that his crowns, earrings, chokers and bracelets were a matching gold.

"These make you a Lieutenant General, the rank directly under mine. You have a lot of power over a lot of people now. Remember your titles, and don't salute anyone other than me first." Said Sephiroth as he affixed the stripes to Kougaiji's shoulders.

"First Class in red, Second Class in blue, Third Class in Grey, cadets in green. A blue business suit means you've run into a Turk. The Turks are the Corporate Branch's bodyguards and assassins. You can take them, but don't. Stay as far away from the labs as you can get."

"Anything else mother?" said Kougaiji with a frown.

"Yeah, don't be cheeky. Your cover story is that you've just recently been transferred here from the base in Wutai to teach an advanced hand-to-hand class. Don't be afraid to throw your weight around, but don't be obnoxious. The point is to not get noticed. Ok, any questions?" asked Sephiroth after he'd finished fussing over Kougaiji's uniform.

"Shouldn't we be leaving now?" replied the redhead, pointing to the clock.

Sephiroth glanced at the clock, saw that he had three minutes to get to the other side of the base, and glared at his new Lieutenant General.

"What did I say about being cheeky?"

"Sir, you said don't be cheeky, sir!" barked Kougaiji, just barely keeping a straight face.

Sephiroth glared again, but couldn't help his smile. Then he reined himself in and started to shut himself down and pull up his public persona. The cold, meticulous, ruthless General slowly bled into Sephiroth's face, leaving him a stranger to his friends.

"Come." He said, glancing over his shoulder at a disapproving Kougaiji and a melancholy Zack. He walked out the door without another word, his posture demanding that they follow, and broke into a brisk stride towards his classroom.

0o0o0

End part 5


	6. Chapter 6

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have Shonen-Ai. My muse is gathering her courage to try Yaoi…maybe.

Part 6

0o0o0

Cloud Strife was more nervous than he'd ever been in his whole life, up to and including that time he'd accidentally walked in on Tifa in the shower and she'd just smiled at him in much the same way a shark smiles at small fish.

General Sephiroth, THE General Sephiroth was teaching his class today. The General taught one class a week to the cadets, but there were twelve cadet platoons, with about fifty cadets each. The platoons were on a set, but random schedule for swordsmanship classes with the General. Last week Tenth Platoon had the honor, and now it was Third Platoon's turn.

This would be the first time that he would be up close to his idol. Cloud absently wiped some sweat from his brow and waited as impatiently as the rest of his platoon.

"He's late." Whispered another of Cloud's new friends. Trinus Madani was the voice of reason in their group. He was tough, sarcastic and a little bitter.

"He's the General. He can be as late as he wants." Snipped a voice from behind him. Mark Lyles was one of Lutzig's boys, thin and cynical. He had never wasted time trying to be friends. He had a habit of pointing out people's flaws and he wasn't nice about it. The thing that made it worse was that he was usually right. Cloud hadn't liked his introductory remark about him never getting into SOLDIER because of his stunted growth.

"Yeah, it must be nice to have that kind of power." Sighed another of Lutzig's goons, Milo Grey. Milo was classically beautiful with smooth, soft features and full lips. His eyes were a rich forest green, his hair shone sunset red and his body was made of long graceful lines. He'd all but publicly declared that he intended to sleep his way to the top.

Naturally, Cloud didn't have much in the way of respect for him.

"Man, I am so excited! A class with THE General Sephiroth! This is gunna be soooo cool!" cried Palka, throwing a brilliant smile around at his friends. Cloud smiled back at him, but didn't say anything for fear of swallowing his own tongue.

The door opened then and the General swept in, getting odd looks for his black slacks and white button down shirt. The exotic redhead they'd seen at the Rat Race came in after him and surveyed the class critically before taking a seat to the right of the General's desk.

"Sir, Platoon Three is present and accounted for sir." Said Sergeant Thompson as he handed the General a roster.

"Thanks you Sergeant." Answered Sephiroth smoothly, running through the names and doing his best to match them to faces.

"Everyone up. Follow me." He said, leading the class out the door and into one of the private training rooms used exclusively for SOLDIERS.

"Everyone take a practice blade and pair up. You'll spar for ten minutes before switching partners with the person on your left." He said.

The cadets scrambled to comply, quickly sorting out the weighted, wooden practice swords and pairing up.

"Begin." Commanded the General, his glowing teal eyes sweeping over forms and movements. He stalked around the room, his hair swinging with his movements, as he corrected stances, adjusted grips and the angle of wrists and ankles.

The cadets moved jerkily, casting nervous glances as the famous man and the curious, silent, observer as they worked. Swallowing hard, a petit blonde swung his blade at a serious faced Kazaleh. His friend blocked and Cloud automatically responded, his nerves taking over his body as he spotted an opening and took it.

Sephiroth raised his head when one of the cadets gave a startled yelp as he was flung to the ground, his practice weapon spinning to a stop at Kougaiji's feet.

"Sorry." Whispered Cloud as he extended a hand down to help his friend up. Kazaleh looked at him funny before taking the hand and glancing over at his wooden sword and the amused red-head it was sitting so near.

Kougaiji edged a toe under the blade and casually flipped it up into his hands. He made his way over the clearly awed and embarrassed boy before handing the weapon back, hilt first and bending to whisper in his ear.

Cloud watched in fascination as Kazaleh's cheeks turned even redder when the SOLDIER First leaned in to speak to him. With a smirk, the SOLDIER looked at Cloud and then silently turned and walked back to his post at the wall. Sephiroth caught his eyes over the boy's heads and gave him a questioning look. Kougaiji only smirked and turned his attention back to the two boys he'd approached.

Cloud gave his friend a searching look to which Kazaleh simply shrugged before taking a sloppy stance once more. Cloud raised his sword and attacked, noting that this time he had a much harder time disarming his opponent.

0o0o0

Sephiroth tapped his pen against his desk as he looked over another set of documents. Kougaiji sat in the chair opposite him, studying the ranking system in the Shin-Ra military.

"Sephiroth?"

"Hm?"

"That blonde kid in your class today, who was he?" asked Kougaiji, resting his papers in his lap as he glanced at the General's bowed head.

"The blonde?" answered Sephiroth, pausing to think. He tapped a few keys on his computer and pulled up the profiles for Third Platoon. He clicked through them until he came to a picture of a small, spiky haired blonde with blue eyes.

"This one? His name is Cloud Strife. From Niebelheim."

Kougaiji studied the picture and smiled faintly.

"He has a lot of potential."

"Oh? How do you figure?" asked the silver haired man.

"His eyes are like Goku's." replied the redhead in a wistful tone, his eyes soft. He studied the picture with a sense of quiet happiness and almost adoration. Sephiroth scowled at him, a tiny burst of jealousy twisting in his chest for a moment before he squashed it.

"Who is Goku?"

"He's one of Sanzo's companions, and the one I fight when our groups happen to meet up. He strong and creative, but there isn't anything cruel about him at all. He's…the best kind of rival. One who will push you to your limits and make you strive to be better and the kind who will offer you a hand up when they've knocked you down. He fights for himself…" said Kougaiji, trailing off into silence. The unspoken 'unlike me' played over and over in his head as the image of his mother's face, frozen forever, assaulted the backs of his eyelids.

He sighed heavily and looked up at Sephiroth, who studied him coolly.

"You miss the fights?" he asked, a contemplative look on his face.

"I do. It was fun for us to push ourselves to fight at out highest potential." Replied the redhead, his eyes lingering on the blonde before he deemed it rude and resumed his seat. He studied the Shin-Ra rank map diligently, determined not to bring up the blonde again since it obviously upset his host. He did, however, make a mental note to keep an eye out for the little blue eyed cadet in the future.

Sephiroth looked back down at his paperwork and pulled a few sheets out and set them aside. He skimmed through some of the more high priority documents before signing them and shoving them at his outbox.

"Let's go." He said as he stood up, setting his pen down on top of the papers he'd pulled aside for later.

"Now?" asked Kougaiji a little startled and pleased that the General would forsake his work to, essentially, go out and play with him.

"I could use the workout." The silver haired man said as he lifted Masamune from its resting place on the wall.

"With or without limiters?" asked the redhead, a feral smirk touching his lips as he hurried to stand and keep pace with the General as he strode out of his office.

"I want to see what you can do without them, but we really can't risk it. You'll have to keep them on." Answered Sephiroth.

Kougaiji frowned, but nodded and they made their way out onto the large empty fields that the cadets did their drill work on. Sephiroth picked a place and planted his feet, his posture inviting Kougaiji to do the same.

The redhead took his own stance, his fingers splayed and already tingling with magic as he watched his opponent for the slightest movement. Sephiroth smiled and hefted the Masamune, a silent statement of readiness.

At some unseen signal, they sprung at each other, teeth bared and eyes flashing. Kougaiji leapt over a downward swing and lashed out with a foot even as he twisted midair to avoid the back stroke of the Masamune. Sephiroth ducked to the side and whipped his blade around in a tight arc, watching with annoyance and pride as the redhead neatly back flipped over it.

The General charged and whipped the blade forward again, throwing his weight and momentum into the strike. Kougaiji leapt straight up and pulled with everything he was at the magic in his bracelets. He winked out of existence and appeared behind his new friend. He planted his fist at the small of Sephiroth's back, catching the silver-haired man off guard for the half a second it took to land the blow. Sephiroth was quick to respond, spinning on his heel and catching his opponent on his raised arm with the tip of his blade.

Blood trickled down the red-head's arm, dripping off his elbow, but he smiled fiercely. He charged again, sweeping a kick at his opponent's face, following through with a second kick as the first one was dodged. Sephiroth turned his blade upside-down and nearly sliced the demon in half. Kougaiji teleported again to avoid the blow and reached for one of his limiters. If he controlled the flow of his power right, he could access more magic and still retain his human guise.

He pulled one of the limiters off and stuck it in his pocket. His body glowed for an instant before he slammed his power into submission. With a quick back flip over the silver-haired General's head, he raised a palm and smirked as flames erupted onto the battlefield. Sephiroth, not at all disturbed by the unnatural fire, lashed out with the Masamune and watched with some curiosity as the fires snaked around to strike at him again while Kougaiji leapt out of the way of his blade.

They fought like this for hours, neither gaining an advantage over the other. Kougaiji was still half-sealed, Sephiroth was not using any Materia, and so they were evenly matched. By the time they wearily trudged back towards the base, they were both covered in cuts and bruises and dripping with sweat.

"That was a lot of fun." Said Kougaiji as he walked beside the General.

"It was." Agreed Sephiroth, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Gods, I need a shower." Muttered the redhead.

"We'll use the showers in the SOLDIER building over there. It's the closest." Sephiroth nodded his head in the direction of a building several feet to their right. The two of them headed into it and the silver haired one lead the redhead through halls and doors until they reached a large locker room.

Sephiroth set Masamune to the side and pulled the straps across his chest loose. He undid the two buttons holding his uniform jacket closed and then dropped it onto the bench. No one was going to mess with it once they realized whom it belonged to.

He turned and glanced as Kougaiji just as the other finished folding his own shirt and setting it down. The two of them stopped and stared at each other for a moment as they realized exactly what they were about to do. A flush crept up their cheeks and they turned away quickly.

Kougaiji felt a roaring blush creep into his cheeks as he undid the buttons on his pants. He forced himself to take a deep breath and relax. It was not that big a deal. It was just a shower right?

As a prince, he'd always had his own private baths, so this would be a new experience for him. But it really couldn't be all that bad right? It seemed pretty normal here, after all.

Sephiroth tugged his own pants down as he fought with his emotions. Kougaiji was undeniably beautiful, and Sephiroth had to admit that he was attracted to him. However, he hadn't known the red head all that long and it didn't make any sense for him to be reacting this strongly to him. The General threw his pants on top of his jacket and then dumped the whole mess of sweat soaked clothes in the laundry bin.

He walked over to his own locker and pulled two fresh sets of clothes out and set them on the bench, very carefully avoiding looking at the other man. He knew he couldn't possibly be blushing, he was Sephiroth, and simply didn't do such things, but he was highly nervous.

Kougaiji removed his crowns and chokers, but left his earrings, bracelets and limiters on. He set his own pants aside and followed the visibly tense General into the showers.

0o0o0

End Part 6

I know not many people are reviewing this, but I really enjoy writing it and I'm going to keep going with it, so nyah!

For those of you who DID review, thank you. It means more that I can say that my stories are read and appreciated. So truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.


	7. Chapter 7

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This will have Shonen-Ai. My muse is gathering her courage to try Yaoi…maybe.

0o0o0

Kougaiji threw himself down onto the couch and sighed heavily. Showering with his host had been absolutely nerve-wracking. Images of water and soap slicked skin, pale and perfect in the bright lights, steel-silver hair plastered to rippling muscles played over and over inside his head. His body grew hot and he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes to stop the flood of delicious imagery.

He'd looked, of course, there was no way he could not have looked, and he was impressed. Sighing, he shifted on the couch, staring up at the darkened ceiling in frustration. It took him hours to fall asleep.

When he woke the next morning, Sephiroth was staring down at him. With a sharp bark of surprise, he scrambled backwards and glared at his host, who smirked at him.

"I had an idea last night."

"Did you?" asked the prince suspiciously.

"Yes." Said Sephiroth, pausing.

Kougaiji stared at him, highly aware that he was shirtless and barefoot.

"Well?" he asked, leaning back.

"You probably won't like it, but it's the only thing I could think of." The General said, tapping his guest's feet. Kougaiji obediently pulled his knees to his chest and watched as the man who'd been haunting his dreams sit down beside him.

"And this idea is…" prompted the redhead. Sephiroth sighed and licked his lips, casting a glance at his companion.

"The only way to make sure that no one in the military can touch you, even though the military technically owns you, is to make you highly visible to and beloved by the public. You have to have lots of people on the outside keeping track of you. So that if you disappear, people will demand to know where you are. People who will make a lot of fuss if they can't see you regularly. You have to have fans."

"Fans?"

"Yes, it's getting the fans that you won't like. You're new on the scene, a complete unknown. You have no recorded military exploits, no publicity. You need to attach yourself to someone famous, and then do something that will get your name circulating."

"Ok. So how do I attach myself to someone famous?" said the redhead, shifting uncomfortably. He was not liking that Sephiroth wouldn't just come out and tell him what was going on.

"Well…I was thinking we could publicly announce a courtship."

"Excuse me? What does that mean?" asked Kougaiji suspiciously, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"I'll publicly announce that I'm courting you." Explained Sephiroth, studiously avoiding eye contact with the Prince.

Kougaiji was silent for a moment, shock and utter disbelief on his face.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. Think about it Kougaiji, you appeared out of thin air here. You don't know anyone but me. I'm famous enough from the war that I can get you instant public attention. I have the resources to do this, and I'm pretty much the only person this kind of thing will work with. We don't have a lot of time either. The second Hojo suspects that you aren't human he'll do whatever he can to get you down to the lab. He'll cut you open. And as someone who's been through that, I won't allow it to happen to you." Said Sephiroth quietly but firmly.

Kougaiji lowered his eyes to his clasped hands and rested his chin on his bent knees. He stared in silence, considering. He glanced up, watching as Sephiroth shifted nervously. Gods, he was so very beautiful. Would it really be so bad to be courted by this gorgeous man?

"Ok. Let's do it."

"Truly?" asked Sephiroth, turning to look at him for the first time since he'd begun.

"Yeah. Yeah, we'll do it. Whatever you think needs to be done to keep me away from Hojo, we'll do." He answered, his purple eyes softening as he traced the spill of silver hair and the smooth line of jaw and the regal nose of his new suitor.

"So what's involved in this courting? You can't ask my father's permission. Do I get a _tian?_ Do I need a dowry?" asked Kougaiji, smiling faintly as he mused out loud.

"Well, dates I guess. We'll have to be seen together in public. We're courting Kougaiji, not planning a wedding, so I think you can forget about the dowry for now. What's a _tian_?"

"It means 'heaven'. It's supposed to symbolize the meaning behind the courtship, the creation of a new life. It's actually a small piece of jewelry that couples exchange to let other people know they're courting. Usually it's a necklace or a ring. My father gave my mother a pair of earrings. The ones I wear are exact copies." Explained Kougaiji, fingering the metal pieces that hung from his earlobes fondly.

"Ah." Said Sephiroth uncomfortably, shifting in his seat.

"I'll think of something." He said finally, wondering where he'd find the time to go out and get something. He didn't exactly own much in the way of jewelry unless you counted the metal identification tag he'd worn as a child in the labs. He wasn't going to give Kougaiji that horrid thing. Rings were common for engagements here, earrings were out of the question as he doubted the redhead would part with his own. A necklace perhaps? Or a bracelet? He already wore many bracelets, so maybe a necklace would be best. A ring would have more significance here but he couldn't see Kougaiji wearing a ring. Sephiroth suddenly smiled, knowing exactly what he was going to get for the Prince beside him.

"We're going to have to do some acting aren't we?" asked Kougaiji startling the General out of his thoughts.

"Oh?" asked Sephiroth, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, people are going to expect us to be…well, affectionate."

"Yes, that is true." Said Sephiroth, leaning back against the couch.

"So, how do we do this?" prompted Kougaiji. "Is it ok to, you know, do stuff in public? In Shangri-La people aren't really affectionate in public, it's rude you know? But we're going to have to do some stuff where people can see, to get people to notice me." Rambled Kougaiji, not looking at Sephiroth as he spoke.

The General pursed his lips as he watched the distracted redhead and then swiftly ran his fingers under the demon's jaw to get him to raise his head. When the prince complied, and before he could loose his nerve, the general placed his lips firmly against Kougaiji's. The prince immediately shut up. His eyes drooped closed as his lips trembled, warmth filling his body. Slowly, Sephiroth pulled away, licking his lips and looking away from Kougaiji to stare out the windows. He shot a quick glance at the redhead, trying desperately to gauge his reaction.

The prince had lowered his head, a blush running rampant across his cheeks. He licked his lips and glanced up, catching brilliant green eyes with his own. The usually confident General looked ready to apologize and Kougaiji shifted his weight with a decision made in a split second. He leaned forward and, slowly, gently, kissed the soft lips of his suitor.

When he pulled his head back to watch Sephiroth's eyes, he was please to note his smile. The General carefully ran a hand down the redhead's back, and settled his arm around the somewhat smaller male, smiling gently.

"You're ok with this?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah." Answered Kougaiji immediately. He licked his lips had settled his weight firmly against Sephiroth's side.

"We can do this." He said and watched Sephiroth nod.

0o0o0

"Kougaiji?" called Sephiroth, striding into his bedroom while he worked the buttons on his white vest closed.

"Hmm?" answered the redhead as he toweled his hair dry and made his way over to the bed where a fresh uniform waited for him. The prince had made a habit of removing his limiters as soon as they were alone in their shared quarters, and his distinctly demonic featured stood out in sharp relief as he set about drying off. Sephiroth watched him, eyes raking hungrily down his room mate's bare flesh.

"I put in leave for us both for tonight last week. We're going out on our first public date." Said Sephiroth, pulling a white thigh length coat out of his closet. The prince frowned and dropped the towel on the bed, eyeing his uniform and then Sephiroth's elegant suit.

"What do I wear?" he asked, mentally reviewing the contents of his own closet back home in Ho-Tu Castle.

"Well…I suppose you'll have to wear something of mine…" said Sephiroth, eyeing his closet critically.

"Don't worry about it. I'll Summon something from home. I am a prince you know. Dress clothes are something I have in abundance." Said Kougaiji with a teasing smile. He mentally selected an outfit and concentrated, pulling the clothing across time and space to flutter neatly into his hands.

The tunic was sleeveless and cut in the traditional style of his homeland. It was a deep royal purple to match his eyes, making the color stand out even more. Gold embroidery glistened at the ties and hemlines, and a huge chrysanthemum bloomed in black embroidery across his chest and right side. The pants were black and made of loose fitting silk, soft and flowing. Thin black slippers made of soft silk graced his feet and thick gold bands wrapped around his biceps, echoing his other jewelry.

"Well? What do you think?" he asked, turning a little to show how the silk shone in the light.

"You look…beautiful. Very exotic." Said Sephiroth, his face carefully neutral but his voice betraying his admiration.

"It's really ok?" said the prince, looking down at his clothes. With a thought, he Summoned a matching jacket and slung it around his shoulders. The jacket had much smaller chrysanthemums on it and his family's imperial crest, complete with the complex characters for their names on the back. With something of a sigh, the prince hooked his limiters back over his ears and let the magic flow over him, hiding his demonic features from view.

"Ready?" asked Sephiroth, reaching to tie his long hair back.

"Leave it down." Commanded Kougaiji, bolding reaching to run his fingers through the General's steel-silver hair with a smile. Sephiroth smile and set the tie back on his dresser. He motioned towards the door with a sweeping gesture and the two made their way down the halls. Sephiroth kept his demeanor stoically professional as they stalked through the halls of the SOLDIERS barracks, carefully ignoring the shocked looks and appreciative whispers that followed them.

0o0o0

Kougaiji looked at everything curiously as he followed Sephiroth up the stairs and into the expansive reception area of the obviously classy restaurant. It seemed that the General hadn't had any problems with getting a reservation as the maitre d' rushed over to them and practically fell over himself to assist them. Sephiroth very coolly ignored him even as Kougaiji smirked in amusement. They were lead to a finely set table with a view out the expansive windows that overlooked the twinkling cityscape. Kougaiji glanced about curiously, but seemed completely at home in his surroundings, managing to both slouch in his chair and look utterly refined at the same time.

Sephiroth supposed it was because he was a prince and quietly asked if he preferred a red or a white wine as he skimmed the list. SOLDIERS of the first class did not have high alcohol tolerances, simply for the fact that their enhancements made them all the more sensitive to just about everything. However, for the sake of image, he would indulge a little tonight.

A smartly dressed waiter glided over to their table, pen already poised over a notebook. Sephiroth didn't give him the chance to speak; he simply ordered a bottle of pricy red wine and sent the boy on his way. The waiter looked rather stunned, but bit his lips and carried on.

"So…" said Kougaiji, watching the entire proceedings with amusement.

"Do you like this place?" asked Sephiroth suddenly, his glowing eyes studying the prince intently.

"It's lovely Sephiroth." He assured, reaching over to lightly run his fingers across the back of his suitor's hand where it rest on the table.

"Good." Was the only reply, but the silver haired General visibly relaxed, leaning back into his chair with a slight smile. Kougaiji smiled back, astounded at how much tension seemed to vanish from the tall frame of his host at such a simple thing.

"Your wine General sir, the Umeshiya vintage '56. Would you like to taste it?" said their waiter. He was carefully holding the bottle, presented against the black backdrop of a cloth napkin draped over his arm. Sephiroth nodded and stared at Kougaiji as the waiter poured the wine, his hand snaking out to grasp Kougaiji's lightly. He dropped his eyes to their joined hands, mesmerized by the contrast of their skin tones. The waiter watched with barely concealed glee and Sephiroth knew he intended to tell everyone who would listen about what he'd seen, just as he'd planned.

They shared a quiet meal full of frequent but brief touches, studiously ignoring the heated whispering of the other patrons. When they rose to leave, Kougaiji slung his jack over his arm and was careful to deliberately place a hand at the small of Sephiroth's back as the General preceded him.

"Have a pleasant evening gentlemen." Called their hopefully gossipy waiter and Kougaiji turned to give him a smoldering look.

"Thank you, I intend to." He replied, making his voice as suggestive as he could, hand still lingering on Sephiroth's back.

Once they were out of the restaurant, they settled into a walk, side by side. The same sleek Shin-Ra corporate car that had delivered them to the restaurant was waiting for them, Zack snickering from the driver's seat at the pair slowly made their way towards him. Out of the corner of his eye Sephiroth caught the flash of a camera bulb and smiled, boldly lacing his fingers together with Kougaiji's.

Everything was going exactly according to plan.

End part 7


	8. Chapter 8

Blood and Steel

By: Lazeralk

Standard disclaimers apply

FF7/Saiyuki crossover

Warnings: This is now blatant Shonen-Ai. My muse is gathering her courage to try Yaoi…maybe.

0o0o0

Kougaiji ran a brush through his hair, gazing at the countertop with a contemplative look on his face. Sephiroth had kindly ordered a large parcel of personal things for him, including various toiletries and casual clothes. Looking at the sink in the bathroom and the two separate piles of brushes, colognes and toothpaste made his gut clench and his heart warm unexpectedly. Here he was, Prince of Demons, sharing a bathroom with a man who was courting him. His mother would have pitched a fit.

He sighed and straightened his uniform jacket, making sure his limiters were in place and his rank insignias were on in the right order. A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts and he turned to find Sephiroth, already in his own leathers, leaning against the frame.

"Here." He said handing a small packet of things towards him. The redhead sent him a questioning look as he took it and unwrapped it.

"Your ID card and residence papers just came through. I had to pull some strings, but those should be enough to cover you for a while. The first set of papers of your proof of residence in Wutai for the last nineteen years. I…sort of took a guess at your age." The General explained.

"I'm two hundred and twenty seven." Said Kougaiji absently as he looked over the various papers. He missed Sephiroth's surprised blink.

"Right. Anyways, the second set is your contract with SOLDIERS, and your training and medical history from the Wutai base. There are some barebones expense records and tax returns also. The next set is your transfer orders to the Midgar base and the last set is your birth certificate and a bank account in your name. I also sort of guessed at your family name, since you introduced yourself as the son of Gyumao, I gave your legal name as Kougaiji Gyumao. Congratulations, you are officially a citizen of Wutai and a certified officer of Shin-Ra's SOLDIERS and you are the first SOLDIER to ever have a primary specialization in hand to hand."

Kougaiji looked up at him, eyes bright as he digested everything he'd been told.

"Thank you." He said as sincerely as he could. "I know this must have taken a great deal of effort on the parts of many people, and I know that this cost you something. I truly appreciate that you've done this for me." He said softly, an interesting mix of pride and embarrassment on his face. Sephiroth returned the smile and then shifted his stance a little, so that he stood straight up, one hand wrapped around his opposite wrist at the small of his back. Kougaiji frowned slightly when the other man's eyes seemed to focus past him.

"There is still the risk of the Turks digging too deeply. I've already spoken to Tseng about it, but Hojo may find out about you through them. The Turks started gathering intel on you the moment you stepped out of my rooms that first time, but that really can't be avoided." Said Sephiroth, still not looking at him.

"It's a risk, I know. I suppose we'll have to deal with it if it becomes an issue." He replied softly, trying to understand the General's demeanor. He'd spent many years with his kingdom's army, but he'd never really been one of them. Some of their mannerisms were echoed in the SOLDIERS he now spent his days with, but some things still confounded him. Why would the General defer to him in such a manner? It almost seemed as if his host was awaiting orders from him. Or perhaps judgment. 'Was that it?' Kougaiji thought, 'Does Sephiroth want my approval of his actions?'

"There is also the issue of the upper management. The Shin-Ra family has been…whimsical…of late." The General continued.

"Sephiroth." Said the prince, commanding the General's eyes to meet his own. When they did, the redhead approached and set a hand on one broad shoulder.

"I trust you. I trust you to know where the danger is and what to do about it. I trust you to do what you must to protect me. I will follow your lead, wherever it may take us. Besides, if things get too rough, I'm pretty sure I've reversed the spells construction well enough to get us out of this dimension if need be. We can even take Zack if you want. Regardless, I trust you. Thank you for trying to warn me. We'll take this one step at a time, alright?"

Sephiroth nodded, his stance relaxing until he was leaning one hip casually against the bathroom counter.

"Now then, who will likely be the first one we'll have to deal with?"

Sephiroth thought about it for a moment before turning to rest fully against the counter and crossed his arms across this chest.

"First will either be the people we pass in the halls, the media hounds calling for interviews or Rufus Shin-Ra calling to demand what the hell we think we're doing."

"Ok. What will be our responses to them?"

Sephiroth sucked in a deep breath as he thought, glancing at Kougaiji when the redhead shifted.

"Well. We have to decide what stage our relationship is at. What are you comfortable with? Do you want to present a casual relationship? Say we're just dating?"

"What will give us maximum exposure?" countered Kougaiji.

"Well. We want the media to be highly interested, but not hounding you. So, probably seriously dating would be good. They'll do a full blown investigation into your entire life history if I tell them I intend to marry you."

"Alright, we need to set a story then." Began Kougaiji, only to be cut off.

"No. The more that I think about this, the more risky it sounds. We won't tell them anything. We'll tell them to leave us alone. We'll deny everything."

"Are you sure that's the best way to go?"

"Yes. We'll deny it, but continue to be seen together. We'll keep up the dates until they confront us with evidence of our relationship. Only then will we give them anything." Said the General, sounding resolute.

"You want to bait their curiosity. Alright. This way when they ask complicated questions we won't have to lie." Agreed Kougaiji.

"Exactly. That leaves the Shin-Ras and our peers. We can be somewhat honest with our close friends, and we'll deny everything to the Shin-Ras. If they push you, stonewall them. If they push me, I'll threaten them."

"Are their rules against this sort of thing?" wondered the prince.

"Technically, yes. Anti-fraternization codes, but that's enforced only to stop favoritism in promotional situations. You've climbed as high as you can go, so it shouldn't be a problem. It's also very rare that the Shin-Ras deny me anything. With public support and my threat, they'll have no choice but to bite their tongues."

"Alright."

"I'm going to tell Zack everything. We can trust him to keep quiet."

Kougaiji nodded and raked claws through his bangs as he thought. He fidgeted slightly, before stilling and facing the general firmly, mentally composing what he wanted to say.

"Sephiroth. Do you…I mean. Are you _actually_ attracted to me? Because…as this progresses, it's going to demand more and more intimacy from us…"

Sephiroth smiled and ran a finger gently along the prince's jaw line.

"Yes Kougaiji, I am very much attracted to you. And you? Do you find me fair?" asked Sephiroth, completely serious and not a little bit nervous as he watched Kougaiji's eyes for his answer.

"Yes." Answered the prince, too shy to actually say that he found the General stunningly beautiful.

"Alright then. We'll just play it by ear and hope to Shiva that Hojo take's no interest." Said Sephiroth, a strange expression on his face as he regarded the Prince.

"What?" asked Kougaiji, turning to glance in the mirror to see if there was something wrong with his face.

"Nothing. We should get going." Said the General, turning and walking away swiftly, his shoulders a little more tense than usual.

0o0o0

Cloud glanced around curiously as he and his platoon-mates stepped into the classroom. This would be the first hand-to-hand class any of the cadet platoons would be taking, and he was highly curious. The room was very large, with thick blue padded mats Velcro-ed together all across the floor.

"It's him!" whispered Palka from behind him as the rest of his platoon trooped in. The red-head they'd seen at the rat-race weeks ago was standing against one wall, watching them as they poured into his classroom.

"Sir!" barked Sergeant Thompson as he saluted the now First Class instructor. "Third Platoon is all present and accounted for."

"Thank you Sergeant." Said the First Class, returning the salute with a smile. He then turned to address the class.

"Please space yourselves evenly across the room. You want to be able to stretch out your arms on either side of you and not touch the hands of the person next to you doing the same." He said. He waited for the cadets to get situated, arms stretching out and bodies moving to accommodate others.

"Welcome to you first hand-to-hand basics course. I'm Lieutenant General Kougaiji Gyumao. You may call me Kougaiji or sir. If you think this class is all about me teaching you how to be badass, you've got another thing coming. You have to learn how to take a beating before you can give one." He surveyed the class, looking for troublemakers. When he found serious eyes staring back at him, he nodded.

"Alright. Let's begin."

0o0o0

"Kou should be teaching right about now." Said Zack absently as he stared at the ceiling, a pencil perfectly balanced under his nose, hands folded behind his head and booted feet on the edge of Sephiroth's desk.

Sephiroth made no comment as he worked on the thick sheaf of papers in front of him, occasionally glancing up to type at his laptop.

"Hey Seph,-" started Zack, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

"Sephiroth." Said the General as he lifted the phone to his ear.

"Ah, Vice-President…Yes…I see…Really?...I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about… No…Hm…Your TURKS must be rather bored to have come up with such a ridiculous story. I don't have the time to pursue…Oh?...Of course, the TURKS are usually very competent. I'm afraid they're mistaken in this instance…I see. Well, I'm sure it will all come to light soon enough, though I never would have thought that the TURKS were such gossip-mongers. Do ask them to be more professional in the future for me will you? Good day Rufus."

Sephiroth put the phone down and went calmly back to his work, but Zack was watching his best friend like a hawk and he caught the slight twitch at the corner of the General's mouth.

"You sly bastard. That was good." He commented, tossing his pencil into the cup on the desk and wandering out with a goofy smile on his face.

0o0o0

End part part 8

To Adel Mortescryche: Zack doesn't know Cloud yet. He isn't First Class yet. This is REALLY early in the time line.


End file.
